“Boker Tov, Machaneh Ramah: Let’s Dance!”

Each morning hundreds of campers arrive at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack to the soundtrack of popular Israeli music. Rabbi Ami Hersh reveals the secrets behind “migrash dancing” and why getting everyone moving is a key ingredient.

At this time of year, the field—migrash—at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, NY, looks seasonally appropriate. Leaves have fallen and been raked away, and all that remains is bare, tired-looking grass.  During the summer, the landscape is remarkably changed, with beautiful full trees, but the grass itself remains similarly downtrodden for an entirely different reason: hundreds of small feet trample on it every morning in the ritual known as “migrash dancing.”

Rabbi Ami Hersh, camp director since 2021 and associate director since 2012, recalls the time a local Nyack resident, having heard the loud energetic music each morning, asked him if it was a workout camp. “He thought we were all about exercise,” said Hersh, who explained that the camp was dedicated to Jewish education.

Hersh received rabbinic ordination from JTS as well as two MA degrees, including one in Jewish education from The William Davidson School of Jewish Education in 2013. Beginning in 2000, Hersh joined Ramah Nyack as a counselor and held subsequent leadership positions there before being appointed director.  He also previously taught fourth grade at the Solomon Schechter School of Greater Hartford. Hersh knew that camping was the perfect fit for his passion for Jewish informal education and role as a rabbi.

“Whatever I do at camp, I am doing it as a rabbi and educator,” said Hersh. “It is not just a business, we are helping campers, staff, and families take steps along their Jewish journeys.”      

“Our well-worn migrash is one of the holiest places in camp,” said Hersh. “It is filled with kedushah.” Camp starts every morning with music and accompanying semi-synchronized movements.  According to Hersh, dance is “a universal language that breaks down barriers and creates community.” What some call “migrash magic” is actually the result of careful planning over many months. The seemingly spontaneous appearance of hundreds of Israeli flags during any given song, for example, is usually orchestrated quite deliberately.

The tradition of migrash dancing at Ramah Nyack started close to 30 years ago during a heatwave, said Hersh.  “It was really hot, and there was no air conditioning in any of the buildings.” Amy Skopp Cooper, Hersh’s predecessor and mentor (and current CEO of the Ramah Camping Movement), knew that they had to get everyone outside.  She worked with the Rosh Rikud (Head of Dance) to put on music when the kids arrived each morning.  Gradually the dancing evolved from classic Israeli folk dances and line dancing to today’s counselor-driven choreography to the beat of Israeli pop music.

In recent years, each edah/unit performs its own song and original dance in the camp-wide Festivale event. The most popular songs from previous summers join the playlist for migrash dancing in future summers. “The hits stick around for a bunch of year,” said Hersh.

“During the off-months, counselors spend hours finding the ‘perfect’ song and coming up with the movements,” said Hersh. There is a fairly rigorous review process to ensure that the songs are appropriate. “Even as the Israeli music scene has evolved to include some traditional liturgical themes, it can be a challenge to find lyrics that represent the values we want to transmit,” he said.

Each morning, the counselors lead the migrash dancing, and campers learn by doing.  “Counselors are the coolest people in the world to the campers,” said Hersh. “We don’t actually teach the dances step-by-step the way you would in a formal class, we just put on the music and dance.”  The language barrier usually is not an obstacle. “Words that may not mean anything to the children can become accessible if the movements are done well,” he said.

The many Israelis who are part of Ramah Nyack’s mishlahat delegation (traditionally the largest of any Jewish camp in North America) love that the music on the migrash is what they are used to listening to. “It is not your bubbe’s Israeli music,” said Hersh. “While some new staff members may be hesitant to get up and dance, during staff programming we emphasize how central this is to our educational approach,” he said.

“Through music we teach ahavat yisrael (love of Israel), tarbut yisrael (Israeli culture), musicality, gross and fine motor skills, as well as physical education,” said Hersh.  “It is a great equalizer, anyone can do it.”

The camp’s reputation for using music and dance to nurture a love of Judaism lasts well beyond the summer months. Ramah Nyack’s summer playlist is shared widely and is regularly requested by schools from across North America who want to access the high-energy, positive Jewish soundtrack. In the past ten years they have made available instructional videos with the dance moves on the camp’s website. “Migrash magic has actually become its own genre,” said Hersh with pride.

Freedom of movement is one of the hallmarks of experiential education. “I want campers to run, play, and challenge their bodies in ways they don’t during the year,” said Hersh.      

Hersh himself is a believer in the power of movement, and you will rarely catch him sitting still at camp. “I love walking around camp and observing what’s going on, jumping in when appropriate to a game or activity.”

Hersh calls his favorite kind of camp meeting “supervision by walking,” when he meets with a staff member while being out and about instead of in his office. And when he needs to sit for a meeting? “Conference Room Bet is a bench under my favorite camp tree in the middle of the buzz of our camp.”   He has a well-developed system of stashing folders in his back pocket to keep track of critical information. “I know the staff might make fun of me for always pulling out my colorful folders, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep moving around camp!” said Hersh.